It has stunning views of the Brandenburg Gate, well-sprung beds, and is a short, pleasant train ride away from the Olympic World Cup stadium. But England fans who want to book into the Adlon - Berlin's most famous hotel - during this summer's football showpiece will need very deep pockets.

The Adlon is the most notable example of the hundreds of German hotels which have sharply increased their prices to cash in on the hordes of fans who will be arriving from across the world for the tournament in June. It usually charges €385 (£264) for a room, but is putting up its rate to €750 (£514) during the tournament from 9 June to 9 July. Breakfast is extra.

In Frankfurt, where England are playing their opening game against Paraguay on 10 June, hotel owners are more than quadrupling the price of a standard room from €65 (£45) to €271 (£186), and are insisting on a minimum three-night stay.

England supporters' groups have condemned the dramatic increases as a rip-off. And even the British Embassy in Berlin has entered the controversy. 'For England fans who are going a long way it is an added expense they don't expect,' Andy Battson, Britain's football attaché at the embassy, told The Observer. 'We were in Frankfurt and paid €70 (£48) for a room. We were told that during the World Cup exactly the same room would cost €240 (£164).

"Hotels are exploiting a loophole in German law which allows them to charge trade-fair rates.'

Critics of the massive price increases claim the hoteliers' behaviour conflicts with the tournament organisers' desire to make the event an accessible, fan-friendly 'people's World Cup'.

Michael Gabriel, the co-ordinator of the 'fan projects' of all 32 competing nations, said many ordinary fans would be priced out: 'Anybody travelling on a regular budget won't be able to pay that much, so we are talking about a real problem here.'

Kevin Miles, international officer for the Football Supporters' Federation, voiced his concern, too. 'They have milked us to the hilt really. But this isn't new. British hotels do the same thing.'

Yesterday British officials in Berlin urged fans going to Germany to be 'innovative' in their travel plans, and to consider staying at cheaper hotels outside the 12 tournament city venues. The cost of accommodation means some fans will now stay in neighbouring countries and come into Germany only for England's three group stage games, which also include matches against Trinidad and Tobago in Nuremberg on 15 June and Sweden in Cologne five days later.

Germany's 'grand coalition' government has given an encouraging message to all fans - even those without tickets - welcoming them to watch games at 260 live screen venues across the country. Each of the 12 host cities is organising temporary camp sites and caravan parks for fans who cannot afford, or refuse to pay, exorbitant hotel rates.

The estimated 100,000 England supporters who are expected to visit Germany during the World Cup are being urged to bring a tent. Some 5,000 camping places will be available in the leafy Tiergarten in central Berlin - the city where England will almost certainly play if they progress to the final rounds.

This weekend the Football Association added its weight to the growing criticism of German hoteliers' blatant opportunism. 'We would be disappointed if anyone is using the World Cup as an opportunity to exploit supporters from England,' said a spokesman.

The row comes as thousands of England fans wait to see whether they have got tickets for the tournament - despite unpromising odds of 24-1 against. Fifa will next week email applicants who applied for the latest batch of 250,000 tickets to go on sale, with England's three matches all massively oversubscribed.

Germany's 2006 World Cup organising committee has already come under fire for charging administrative fees to fans for the right to apply for tickets, without guaranteeing them they would receive any seats.

Yesterday Fifa insisted that prices for the 500 official Fifa hotels in the 12 tournament cities were 'reasonable'. 'We are starting with prices of €52 for a two-star hotel. This is a really fair price,' Verena von Gehlen, spokesperson for the online Fifa World Cup Accommodation Service (WCAS), told The Observer

In the tantalising, but improbable, event England make it to the World Cup final on 9 July in Berlin, you can forget getting a room. 'We're already full,' a spokeswoman for the Adlon said. 'But some of the rooms are reserved for visiting heads of state. If England reach the final we would of course be very happy to accommodate the Queen.'

The numbers game

The World Cup will be held from 9 June to 9 July this year in 12 German cities and will officially be the biggest football tournament ever. The finals will have 32 sides from five continents, a lion mascot called Goleo VI and should be a showcase for the World Footballer of the Year, Brazil's Ronaldinho.

During the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea an average worldwide audience of 314.1 million viewers watched each match. More are expected this time. Some 8.7m orders were received for the first 812,000 tickets that went on sale last year.

Three million fans are expected to visit a sex worker during the finals.